Recovery of hydrocarbons from an oil or gas field can be enhanced by injecting fluid, for example water, into the subterranean reservoir to maintain reservoir pressure and to drive certain fractions of the hydrocarbons to producing wells. Water flooding operations generally depend upon a sufficient supply of water for injection, means for treating the source water to meet the reservoir conditions, a pumping system and access to the formation via a wellbore.
In order to avoid large investments associated with construction and installation of surface arrangements offshore, subsea-placed production equipment is increasingly sought-after. The production stream is conveyed via pipelines to the shore or to existing remote surface structures, such as platforms.
Water injection for stimulating production from a petroleum reservoir involves pumping water at high pressure down into injection wells. The high pressure water is pumped into a reservoir or formation that is in fluid communication with the reservoir. The reservoir pressure can thereby be maintained and petroleum can be forced to migrate toward the production wells. In some applications, raw seawater is injected to increase recovery by pumping seawater into the field to force the hydrocarbons to flow towards the production wells.